One method of making coffee includes passing heated water through coffee grounds in order to infuse the water with coffee flavor and aroma. A common type of coffee maker that employs this method is the so-called “drip-type” or “filter” coffee maker. Filter coffee makers comprise a water reservoir and a brew basket for receiving coffee grounds. A delivery tube or other water passage takes water from the water reservoir, through an in-line water heater, and delivers it to a spreader above coffee grounds in the brew basket. The heated water passes through the coffee grounds and in to a carafe, cup or other vessel.
The art to making good coffee relies not only on the correct water temperature and wetting time, but also on the quantity of water and ground coffee used in preparing the brew. Opinions vary widely but organizations such as the National Coffee Service Association recommend a ratio of approximately 11 grams of coffee to 8 fluid ounces of water.
One of the problems with known coffee makers, and in particular domestic or home use coffee makers, is the need to constantly measuring out exact quantities of water and coffee when making a brew. It is often the case that the number of cups, or quantity of coffee, may varies from brew to brew. Thus, there is a need to constantly adjust measurements and to work out exact quantities for each brew. One solution practiced by many users of domestic or home coffee makers is to measure out a known fixed quantity of coffee and water for each brew. For example a user may place three scoops of coffee in the brew basket for one full load of water. This can result in coffee wastage or in more extreme cases a shortage of coffee requiring a second brew which may only be partly consumed. As a result many users resort to rule of thumb guides such as “one scoop per cup plus one for the pot”. Such methods are imprecise often resulting in variable brew quality which detracts from the coffee drinking experience.